What more could I ask for?
Summer is officially over. The past week has just been a blur and I can't even believe how unreal life has been. Everything really hit me over the past couple days. The fact that my life is so different, that I'm really out of BC, that I really am in an amazing relationship, that I really am growing up.
Last week Ben and I went to band camp. Except this time, we were watching from the aluminum bleachers rather than playing/dancing on the field. We sat there and watched our friends perform, we got hugs and hellos, and we officially became band alums. In the most defining post-grad moment thus far, I took to the field with a bunch of other 06ers and ran through the tunnel to the tune of "For Boston," a member of the Notre Dame football team in the annual band camp staff/alumni football game. I can't even describe how that felt to know that all the bandos were watching me, those who knew me and even those who were freshmen looking up to me as a grad and former member. The traditions don't end just because college did, because I'm now experiencing all of the first-year alum traditions I've witnessed others do before me. Now this Staurday I'll get to go to my first football game as a Superfan: tailgate, drink Busch Light, get thrown in the air at a touchdown, and see what I missed out on while I was a student.
This past Saturday morning, I took my first trip to Minnesota. Was I nervous? Absolutely. I couldn't believe I was traveling to spend time with my boyfriend's family. I remembered growing up and thinking that one day I might be with someone whose family didn't live where I lived, that I might go to a different to state to "meet the parents." Well, I'd already met Ben's parents but it still made me realize how grown up I am. Everything about the weekened was amazing: I love Ben's family, we had a blast at the State Fair, and everything just fell into place without any extra effort. I just felt like I fit in. Last night Ben and I had this talk. It was short and we were exhausted, but it was meaningful. It was a talk about what this weekend really meant, what it means for us and what it tells me about where we are and where we are going. This weekend really made me think, "This could happen. This could work. This could be it." Even on the phone with my mom today, I knew she thought it, too. She said, "Everything just happened and fell into place so perfectly." I'm not making any promises or plans, and nothing is ever set in stone. I'm not trying to live in the future or rush ahead. I'm just saying okay, I can handle saying it could happen. Nothing wrong with that.
Last week Ben and I went to band camp. Except this time, we were watching from the aluminum bleachers rather than playing/dancing on the field. We sat there and watched our friends perform, we got hugs and hellos, and we officially became band alums. In the most defining post-grad moment thus far, I took to the field with a bunch of other 06ers and ran through the tunnel to the tune of "For Boston," a member of the Notre Dame football team in the annual band camp staff/alumni football game. I can't even describe how that felt to know that all the bandos were watching me, those who knew me and even those who were freshmen looking up to me as a grad and former member. The traditions don't end just because college did, because I'm now experiencing all of the first-year alum traditions I've witnessed others do before me. Now this Staurday I'll get to go to my first football game as a Superfan: tailgate, drink Busch Light, get thrown in the air at a touchdown, and see what I missed out on while I was a student.
This past Saturday morning, I took my first trip to Minnesota. Was I nervous? Absolutely. I couldn't believe I was traveling to spend time with my boyfriend's family. I remembered growing up and thinking that one day I might be with someone whose family didn't live where I lived, that I might go to a different to state to "meet the parents." Well, I'd already met Ben's parents but it still made me realize how grown up I am. Everything about the weekened was amazing: I love Ben's family, we had a blast at the State Fair, and everything just fell into place without any extra effort. I just felt like I fit in. Last night Ben and I had this talk. It was short and we were exhausted, but it was meaningful. It was a talk about what this weekend really meant, what it means for us and what it tells me about where we are and where we are going. This weekend really made me think, "This could happen. This could work. This could be it." Even on the phone with my mom today, I knew she thought it, too. She said, "Everything just happened and fell into place so perfectly." I'm not making any promises or plans, and nothing is ever set in stone. I'm not trying to live in the future or rush ahead. I'm just saying okay, I can handle saying it could happen. Nothing wrong with that.